Novato Musician to Appear on Letterman Show

Set your DVR/TiVo for Wednesday night's David Letterman show.

One of Novato's most talented young musicians, Tim Carr, will be on as the musical guest with his band, the Americans.

Carr, a San Marin High graduate, said he's both nervous and excited about appearing on national television.

"It was a bit surprising when we got the news (of the booking)," he said Tuesday. "We haven't done anything at this level. It's quite a big step."

Carr plays drums along with mates Patrick Ferris (guitar and vocals), Zac Sokolow (guitar and banjo) and Jake Faulkner (bass). Occasionally Carr plays acoustic rhythm guitar, too.

The band plays what it calls "traditional rock & roll and traditional American music" that is suited for playing on a rustic front porch. Foot-stomping and knee-slapping are necessary forms of percussion in this genre.

"I'm not sure what it is, but I see that traditional music is making a comeback, and I'm just attracted to it," Carr said. "A lot of the music I listened to was very serious, sort of old blues music. I didn't know very much about this kind of music until I joined the band. A lot of bands are using old instrumentation now. Its simplicity is refreshing."

The Americans have made several albums since they formed in 2010. Carr met Faulkner when they were attending the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, and they joined up with Sokolow and Ferris, who were childhood pals in Southern California.

The band has appeared at some high-profile gigs, including the wedding of actress Reese Witherspoon. Albums have included new music from Macy Gray, Keith Richards, Tom Waits and Dr. John.

Want more star power? The Americans appear on a new compilation album, a collection of sea shanties called Sons of Rogues Gallery, that was executive produced by Johnny Depp. Hal Wilner produced the all-star album, which was released Tuesday, as a follow-up to a 2009 Australian concert of pirate-themed music that he produced. 

"Our band was the one chosen to promote the album on Letterman, so we are really excited about it," he said.

On Tuesday, the band performed on NPR's New Sounds at radio station WNYC, joined by Ed Pastorini and Shilpa Ray.

Carr, son of John and Rhonda Carr, said he's hearing from a lot of Novato friends who have kept an eye on his progress with the Americans. A few might make it to other New York gigs in the coming days. 

"They're all pretty abuzz about it, and I'm very much looking forward to this," he said. "I have a lot of friends from San Marin in the (New York) area."

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